TRUE CONFESSIONS OF A REMODELING CONTRACTOR: MAKING A HOMEOWNER CRY

Nothing is worse than having to tell a homeowner they have been scammed.

MAKING A HOMEOWNER CRY

This has been one of the toughest month’s for me as a home remodeling contractor.

Two of the potential clients that I visited with were brought to tears and another one was strong enough to hold back the tears but realized they threw away money.

WHAT WENT WRONG

The first of my heart breaking experiences happened in Palm Beach Gardens. A woman, had a leak, which unfortunately led to mold.

But… the people she hired to “fix it” removed anything and everything that they could, down to the metal studs that were part of her exterior walls.

There is no easy fix to put her home back together, especially because it is part of a quadruplex. The homeowners association won’t let her rip down what is remaining from the exterior walls and now they are in danger of collapsing, her insurance company is denying the claim, and the “friends” that helped her weren’t licensed.

The only remedy she has is to hire a public adjuster to help her navigate the insurance company process and to hire a construction attorney to help her recoup her costs from the work that was done improperly. Until she gets the homeowners association to grant her permission to fix the exterior walls, she is in limbo.

The next of my heart breaking experiences happened in Wellington where work was done without a permit and the second contractor is no where to be found.

A homeowner needed work done on his home. The “contractor” who only could work weekends was caught doing work on the home without a permit. The Village of Wellington issued a stop work order, fined the homeowner, and had the electric meter pulled from the house as a safety precaution.

The homeowner, after paying fines, hired another contractor. But, this contractor is now missing in action. I advised the homeowner that I could not do any work on the home unless the permit was closed. Like the previous homeowner, this job will remain in limbo until the legal ramifications are solved.

The last my heart breaking experiences this week also happened in Wellington.

A homeowner wanted to remodel their kitchen and have an addition put on their home. They hired a draftsman to draw up the plans. The plans did not reflect what the homeowner wanted! The plans were what the designer wanted to draw.

As a design-build contractor I have seen this time and time again. Some draftsmen or architects don’t understand the big picture and don’t understand how things are tied together. The homeowner, throughout our meeting, kept saying “but that is what I wanted.”

It is very frustrating to me that homeowners waste money on plans that won’t work. It is not that every designer/draftsman does a poor job… but I have seen it way too many times that plans are not usable because they are incomplete, don’t meet the homeowner requirements, or they are drawn incorrectly.

BEFORE YOU CHOOSE TO DO A REMODEL

Think about how your change will effect the look of your home. Realize that the newer things may alter how the rest of your home looks. That doesn’t mean you don’t make changes. But… think about how your changes can affect your vision of your home.

If you are changing the floors, do you want to change the doors, their thresholds, the moldings? If you are adding additional cabinets, how are you going to tie the cabinets together? Will you need to resurface the old cabinets, change out all of the hardware, or replace everything?

Making all the cabinet pulls the same may not be so easy. How the new handles get installed may not cover old holes. The old hardware may not easily be removed.

When you do choose to remodel, look for someone with good listening skills who shares your vision for what your home should look like. Feel free to ask for references. Then, before you sign on the dotted line, check with your state to ensure your architect or custom builder is licensed in his or her field.

FACTORS THAT ADD TO THE COST OF YOUR ADDITION

Hands down, when you need to more living space to improve your life style, the option to add a room typically beats the cost of selling your existing home and then purchasing a new one.

What you may not realize that even though you are only adding a 100 square foot sitting area, you may have to update other parts of your home.

Budgeting for Your Addition – Changes You Might Have to Make That Are Not Part of the Addition

Depending on the age of your home, you can count on any room addition having to meet the current adopted building codes. This includes, but is not limited to changes in the electrical code including new smoke alarm systems, updated hurricane protection and bracing, and meeting the International Energy Conservation Code with insulation, Window U-Values, and the efficiency rating of your plumbing and mechanical equipment.

Yes, it may surprise you that you have to upgrade your smoke detectors for all of your bedrooms, even though you are adding a family on the opposite end of your home.

Minimum Charges Add to Costs

You may not realize, but there other fixed costs that make the price of the addition seem higher than new construction.

There are structural engineering fees, permitting fees, possible county impact fees, and subcontractor minimums for your addition. For example, concrete finishing will cost $450 whether the slab is 100 square feet or 1000 square feet because the finishers have a minimum charge. That’s $4.50 a square foot vs. 45 cents a square foot. Minimums like this exist for most trades.

True Story

A potential client wanted to add a 100 square foot sitting room to his home. The calculated cost for the addition was almost $400 a square foot. Ouch! I told him I wouldn’t recommend doing the addition. The subcontractor minimums and the cost for upgrading the home to meet current code made the cost prohibitive for little return on his investment.

Adding a small amount of space doesn’t mean less cost!

Before you think about adding onto your home, seek out professional advice from a professional home remodeling contractor like Leading Edge Homes, Inc.

If you, or someone you know, are planning on an addition, please call me at 561-795-2551 and I will be happy to discuss your needs and identify for you the important considerations and requirements that may impact your overall room addition costs.

For all of your home remodeling and inspection needs, contact your local certified “roomologist”, Leading Edge Homes. Inc.at 561-795-2551.

Todd Perry, a State of Florida Certified Building Contractor and president of Leading Edge Homes, Inc., provided this information.